Liverpool will reportedly make an offer of £22m for Valencia attacker Juan Mata over the next few coming days as Kenny Dalglish and director of football Damien Comolli continue to scout signings to help improve the club’s squad.

Spanish sources claim that Mata is now the Anfield side’s number one target as they look to bring in more creativity to the club’s final third. They see the pint sized 23 year old as the ideal signing to provide natural width to the club’s midfield though advantageously the Spanish international can also play in a striking role.

Valencia lost star pair David Villa and David Silva last summer but still managed to their place in third spot behind La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Mestalla side apparently though better off financially still face a battle to keep Mata from leaving the club he has represented for the past four seasons, following his move to the club from the Real Madrid’s B team.

Mata is thought be valued at €25m (£22m), a fee that Liverpool are apparently more than willing to pay as the club’s owners back fully the moves being made by Kenny Dalglish who earlier this week sealed the signing of Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson but appear to have lost out in the chase for Blackburn Rovers defender Phil Jones.

Liverpool are looking to fresh attacking weapons to help provide the ammunition for strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and appear to be looking to bring in more direct options for the wide areas that were most frequently filled last season by Maxi and Dirk Kuyt, two players who at 30 may be seen as weak links who may indeed, in the Dutch international’s case at least, be hard working players but not perhaps long term solutions to the long running search for effective wingers.

Kuyt indeed may be seen as a player who can support the club’s attack by reverting to his natural position as a striker, a role that he filled for large spells of last season which was the former Feyenoord man’s most prolific in a Liverpool shirt.